there are over 22 million american veterans today. and although the number of service members being deployed in today's wars are fewer than wars in the past, those returning from wars suffer from increasingly severe disability such as traumatic brain injury, numerous amputation, and post traumatic stress disorder. over the past decade the number of vets in need of disability compensation has more than doubled from 600,000 in 2000, to over 1.4 million in the year 2011. as more vets return home from multiple tours in iraq and afghanistan, the need for assistance will grow even greater. we must do all we can to support inventive program such as pits for patriots to provide support and assistance to our veterans in need. i want to end with the words of sergeant randell who said about his pit bull, shiloh. he gives me a reason to be successful. shiloh gives me a great sense of calm and balance. he's an amazing dog not just where he has been and what he has lived through, but all that he has overcome. and that's sense we are a lot alike, an